>> welcome to al jazeera america. here is a look at our headlines. the syrian government accused of chemical warfare on its own people, the the opposition group said the government killed hundreds of women and children. former egyptian president hosni mubarak may be released from house arrest within a few hours. and bradley manning sentenced to 35 years behind bars for leaking classified information. now his attorney wants help from the president. [♪ music ]

>> we begin tonight with atrocities in syria and accusations of chemical warfare. it could put more pressure on president obama to get involved in the dispute. opposition groups are claiming that the government used chemical weapons in the overnight offensive. we want to warn you that some of the pictures we want to show you are extremely graphic. they show injured people being treated by hospital workers while others lie motionless. activists athey are victims of banned chemical weapons fired by government forces. and other video shows survivors struggling to breathe. al jazeera cannot verify the videos but if proved true it will spotlight president obama's pledge almost a year ago to respond forcefully of any chemical weapon used by the assad government.

the death toll has reached more than 1200. he also says rockets loaded with toxic agents were launched into the suburbs and the hospitals are not able to help the number of victims arriving. we have all angles covered from the white house to the united nations. we'll hear from john

serve. it could knock al-assad out of power, but then what next? >> yes, the united nations met to explain great concern about the use of chemical weapons in syria and promised investigation. >> the possibility of the use of chemical weapons which will be investigated. this has been further underlined. the secretary has already expressed his preppe preparedner the investigation and we hope that everyone realizes the

importance of seizing the hostilities. >> now john joins us live from the united nations with more on this story. john, how long would this investigation take? >> well, that's very much up in the air, john. what happened here was the u.s. britain, france, south korea, and luxembourg met, but they came out with the most watered down statement that is possible to come out with. this was not even a former statement to the press. it came from the ambassador of the of argentina, she simply said members welcomed the determination of general secretary ban ki-moon to investigate these allegations coming out of syria. it's deeply divided when it comes to syria.

so now it's all eyes on ban ki-moon, the secretary general. those are his inspectors who are in syria at the moment. 35 member nations have written to him asking him to expand the investigation. the problem is now they'll have to negotiate with the syrian government because it took them a very lock time to even get those inspectors on the ground, months of negotiations, and its thought this could take a very long time just to move the investigation a little further to include what we're now allegedly witnessing in determining what those inspectors do in syria. >> thank you. now to egypt where former president hosni mubarak could leave a cairo prison at any time. he has been held under maximum security since forced out of

power. and now an egyptian court has ordered hip released while being investigated for corruption charges. >> watching the man they hold responsible for the killing of their son is ordered released from prison. whatever the fate of former president hosni mubarak, the decision is another hit for a family who is still waiting for answers. >> he showed me the picture of the 18-year-old who was killed in an up rising when a car ran him over. he has kept it in his pocket for almost three years. >> firsts the corruption cases, and then my son's case, the one of the killing of protesters and mubarak will be cleared of everything. i want to know who is responsible for killing my son, who ran him over. >> i feel like any mother would in this situation. i lost my son so suddenly. i thought our justice system was fair, but i would like someone to explain what's fair about it. on the streets a feeling of

deflation more than anger. >> if the judge decides to release him, it's his ruling and we have to accept it as rule of law. >> we had a revolution, people died. what was that all for. things have gone just back to the way they were before. >> we have other things on our minds. the silenc violence and so on, n is gone anyway, i don't feel anything. >> so much is going on in the country, hosni mubarak is pretty irrelevant. weather happy or sad, people are not surprised by this verdict. >> they don't care about politics or even who is in power. they want justice for their son. every corner of their home a reminder why their lives will never be the same again. al jazeera cairo. >> our david jackson has been following the situation in

egypt. he joins us live from cairo. what is it like there tonight, david? >> john, right now at 2:00 it couldn't be much quieter here in cairo or across egypt. everyone is waiting to see what happens eight hours from now when the former leader is expected to be released from prison. mubarak will now go to house arrest, as we no, and we do not what that means or where that will be. a lot of speculation right now on exactly what will happen to him whether he'll go to one of his own homes or a prior palace he had from before. he may go to a town on the red sea. he also could go to a military hospital because at 85 years old, and in poor health he may need hospitalization for a while. so all anybody knows for sure here almost certainly he will be released from his current jail situation in about those eight hours from now, and everybody will have to watch and see what

happens. now we do have to remember that he does face another trial. that trial begins in just four days. he does not have to appear in the courtroom at that time, but the legal maneuvers regarding him are certainly far from over. the only thing we know for sure is that he's not allowed to leave the country. >> david jackson in cairo tonight, david, thank you. back in this country one of dozens of wildfires burning in the west is now threatening a national treasure. a 25 square mile fire is burning out of control in stanislaus national forest outside of yosemite national park. it's threatenin one of many firs

ined. this is truly a wild, wildfire. 2,000 structures are under threat. of course they all error on the side of caution. by structures they mean by residential and commercial buildings. there are a lot of cabins in this area. the good news, though, no injuries and no deaths so far. >> what kind of resources are they putting into this fire? >> well, there are federal resources at the moment, and the federal resources are being absolutely stretched. there are 18,000 firefighters across the western united states dealing with fires in idaho, montana, oregon, and here in california. what we're seeing firefighters dealing with one of blaze and then they get it contained somewhat, and then they're hopscotched to another location, possibly another state to deal with this. help.

>> melissa chan out in yosemite park, thank you very much. [♪ music ] >> meteorologist: well good evening, i'm kevin corriveau yesterday at this time i was telling you we have 53 wildfires, including those in alaska. tonight we have 61. we're getting worse in terms of wildfires as a whole in the western part of the united states. we have been focusing on idaho but we have many places we need to be watching as well. here in the west we have the thunderstorms going on. these are the thunderstorms producing not the rain but the dry lightening that is a major problem here. during the heating of the day and the temperatures are getting quite worm into the 90s, that is the problem. we have high temperatures across

the region. we have red flag warnings encompassing parts of idaho also oregon and colorado. we're also looking at bad air quality in effect as well as discrepancy and flood warnings going on in parts of nevada. right now boise, idaho is looking at 90 degrees. we don't expect much rain here across the area. tomorrow's lows is going to be 67. but tomorrow's highs are going to be quite warm. we expect parts of idaho to go up to 95 degrees. when i see you later on i'll tell you what is happening across the southeast. >> facing his victim. still ahead on al jazeera the plea entered by an american surgsoldier accused of killing 6 afghan civilians and the choice the jury will have in his fate.

mission. >> there's more to america, more stories, more voices, more points of view. now there's are news channel with more of what americans want

to know. >> i'm ali velshi and this is "real money." this is "america tonight." sglovrjs our -- >> our news coverage reveal more of america's stories. [♪ music ] >> well, attorneys for the soldier who killed 16 afghan civilians in a rampage last year will push for lighter punishment. the sentence hearing is underway in washington state. sergeant robert bales has pleaded guilty to the murders. today he faced more survivors. now to the case of army private bradley manning. he's responsible for the largest leak of classified information in american history. he was sentenced to 35 years in prison. the former surveillance analyst was arrested in 2010 for

allegedly leaking more than 700,000 government documents to wikileaks. the judge convicted him of most of the charges in july, but he was found not guilty of aiding the enemy. manning will be credited for the three plus years he spent in custody. kimberly has hour report. >> reporter: private bradley manning walked into court to find out if he'll get his wish. at trial he said he wanted to go to college, get a degree, have a better relationship with his family. those goals now put on hold as he is sentenced to 35 years behind bars dishonorable disdischarge and loss of pay. manning was convicted of espionage and theft charges for this, making it possible for the world to read the secret thoughts of u.s. diplomats. he also wanted americans to know what was happening in their name. the truth shown in this helicopter video. soldiers shooting civilians, a reporter's camera mistakenly

called a weapon. >> i think i just rolled over a body. it's their fault for bringing their kids to battle. >> manning pled gender identify bringing this picture as proof. manning's lawyer said he'll work to have this sentence reduced. >> the time to end brad's suffer something now. the time for our president to focus on protecting whistle blowers instead of punishing them is now. the time for our president to pardon pfc man something now. >> reporter: but the prosecution describes him as an arckist and traitor. they wanted to send a mention to deter further

leakers. >> i'm perfectly content that the man is guilty. i feel the man violated his trust. eve lated his oath. he did damage way, way out of proportion to the things he said he was concerned about. >> in the military justice system the commanding general can reduce the sense. there will be an appeal, but manning is likely to spend the next eight years in prison before being granted even the possibility of parole. al jazeera washington. >> the nsa collected up to 56,000 e-mails and other communications by americans with no connection to o terrorism ovr the past three years. they show that the nsa was ordered to find ways to limit the information it collects and how long it keeps it. former army major nadal hassan spoke three words today,

the defense rests. >> reporter: he had wanted to tell jurors he killed u.s. soldiers to save muslim lives in afghanistan, but the military judge deemed that argument irrelevant. the american-born nadal hassan was limited to addressing the fact of the case, the facts the accused agrees with. most observers would call this an unique trial. not only is hassan representing himself, but he told the jury on day one that he is the shooter. he's charged with 16 murders one was a civilian. in his case against hassan prosecutors painted a scene of heroism and chaos during the attack. 89 prosecutors witnesses took the stand. a retired staff sergeant who was shot seven times. a police officer who shot the

attacker in the hand preventing him from reloading and allowing her partner to take him down. one by one the victims walked past hassan in his wheelchair, some looked at him in the eye and all described him as the shooter. hassan declined to call any defense witnesses. he declined to present a case. hassan, a former army psychologist said he wants the jury to consider capital charges and not lesser penalties. the former army major said he would still be a martyr if executed. >> time now for business headlines. more evidence the housing recovery is gaining strength. home resales rose in july to their highest level in over three years. the national association of realtor says sales jumped 6.5%, the median price for a home rose to $213,000. meanwhile applications for mortgages falling for the second straight week.

higher 30-year mortgage rates, which has dropped two-thirds over the past three months. it's a good time for home improvement retailers. lowes riding the housing recovery to monster profit, the company earning $1 billion in the last three months and it expects the rest of the year to remain strong. the performance comes a day after rival home depot posted robust earnings. well, the southwest is experiencing the worst drought in decades. new mexico has been especially hard hit. the state is experiencing a dry spell as officials describe as extreme. farmers are especially hard hit. >> every morning this is what you got to do every morning. take all the fluid. >> he farming has been in his family for generations, and he has the tools and knowledge to keep the business going.

>> i got my tractor, i got actually everything that i need, but actually i don't because i need the water. >> henry's 60 acres of land are going to waste because there is no longer enough river water for the farmers here. his neighbors are surviving the drought using a deep expensive well. but henry can't afford that, and won't produce a crop this year for the first time in his life. >> it's going to be hard later on in the future. it'ses going to be really hard for the future farmers in this area. it hurts a lot. it hurts. >> his irrigation ditches used to bring water from the rio grand. the river is still flowing, but dropping water levels at up stream reservoir means there is not enough for everyone. farmers have been using the rio grand to irrigate their feels for as long as anyone can remember, but it wasn't until they completed this dam in 1916 that people started to control the river and decided who got

the water and how much of it. professor king has studied water management here for the past 20 years. he says the drought has brought in complex legal battles that have pitted state against state, farmer against city, and farmer against farmer. >> they're all driven by shortage, and this happens every time we get into a real bad drought. people don't reach for their six-shooters any more. they reach for their lawyers. >> henry is also in the fight. he's part of a collective of small farmers demanding legal recognition of water rights that date back to the 1800s. >> can i use the water? no, you're going to dry up like everything else. you're going to fight for your water rights. you're going to fight for your water. >> he keeps his tractors oiled and ready, hoping america's legal system will prioritize his water rights. but industrial farms, cities and the state of texas all want the same resource. so henry ortega knows what he

may ultimately need is $50,000 to dig a well for a few good years of rocky mountain snow. casey kauffman, al jazeera, new mexico. >> in russia there are claims of pigeons falling from the sky. while this may stir up images of the apocalypse scientists say there is a more reasonable culprit. it's called new castle disease. >> i've been out among moscow's pidgeon population looking for abhor rent behavior pidgeons that fall out of the sky. pigeons that fly into things and pigeons that are too friendly too people, and in short i'm looking for zombie pigeons. television stations have been frightening people of moscow with this shocker. they lose their orientation and fly without a sense of direction, and then fall already lacking the strength to get up.

but moscow vet and ornithologist has examined dozens of dead birds and say the demise could be due to new castle disease. >> the symptoms of new castle disease are apathy, no energy, breach of central nervous system. the pidgeon is often found lying on its back with a twisted neck and foaming from its beak. >> perhaps there is another reason for the appearance of the zombie pidgeon. the superstition believes their behavior marks the end of times. the rasputin predicted th frida. the predictions of a madman or new castle disease. your choice. >> still ahead, survivors of

north korea's prince tell us what happened mind the gates. >> i've been tortured in different ways, but the most painful was when they handcuffed my hands to the back. >> that's just the beginning. details from the defectors next. and a trial is gripping china, the former communist party facing corruption charges.

>> welcome back to al jazeera, i'm john seigenthore.

a wildfire is threatening yosemite national park. structures nearby wil are also n danger. at least 7,000 firefighters battling a dozen wildfires in california alone. former egyptian president hosni mubarak may be out of prison in days. a court ordered his release today, and according to egyptian state tv mubarak will be under house arrest. he has been charged with accepting gifts from state-owned newspaper and he's also on trial for his alleged role.

>> josh, welcome, thank you for being with us. >> thank you for having me, john. >> give me some idea what you think the u.s. government should do in this case? maintain its cy

there should be intervention in the wake of this attack. >> so intervention means what?el

civilians and regime is not working. >> we heard the u.n. wants a prompt investigation, but it does n china.

>> all right, josh, thank you very much. good to see you. the heart of hurricane season is fast approaching, and new orleans is still recovering from hurricane katrina is rolling out a creative system to save people from the next disaster. we have the next story. >> reporter: it stands 14 feet tall and weighs 800 pounds. and in new orleans this metallic man is the symbol of safety. >> there is not many public projects that serve such a functional role. >> reporter: in august of 2005 the world watched. >> i saved a few people at the houses, and i couldn't have

drown myself. >> thank you, thank you. >> reporter: the aftermath of hurricane katrina proved to be a failure across all levels of government. eight years later new orleans officials hope they have their evacuation systems worked out. and art is a solution. >> we watched the whole battle. >> reporter: in search of an iconic image, a marine with decades of disaster experience, and robert foggerty, joined forces. >> the city of new orleans prides itself in art so we did a contest. >> reporter: with the help of foggerties organization the city has played 17 of these metallic sculptures around new orleans, and nor good reason. many people are handicapped or

have no cars. this icon has the potential to save their lives. >> when tropical storms are on close to impact with the city, major roads that go into the city are forced out so people can evacuate. >> there are a couple of roads that we keep open for emergency vehicles, but major roads such as the interstate systems are all going away from new orleans. >> in 2008 hurricane gustav was approaching. they were sending vehicles away from the city, and 98% of the people left. >> we're the only major city that did a full-scale evacuation and it worked. >> reporter: but because the evacuation location signs were so small some people were confused about where to go. the city hopes that the 17 sculptures around town will help in the next big storm. >> i think it's an excellent idea especially because people are aware of those places

beforehand. >> reporter: for lavinia whose home in the lower ninth ward was under ten feet of water during katrina, the sculptures are a good sign. >> when they say its time to go, it's time to go, we're surrounded by water all over. >> reporter: a mission to never leave their citizens trapped. >> it is one of the most intriguing tales of failure in modern chinese politics. this man was once a rising star in the communist party. on thursday he'll go on trial facing charges of corruption, bribery, and abuse of power. all tinged with the tale of murder. we are joined live now from the town of jinan. >> that's right, the trial should have just got under way.

it was due to happenmbroiled one of china's highest flying members in the elite. >> his last appearance was as a member of the politburo in march last year. his next should be as an accused criminal in the courtroom of a pro provincial city. the scandal would bring him down came years later when he was

party secretary of the southwestern city of chongching. a businessman was found dead in a hotel there. his death would be seen as murder after bo's trusted police chief fled to a nearby u.s. consulate with an extraordinary account of the killing. in her trial last year, she admitted to poisoning hayward and was given a suspended death sentence. >> you really don't have to look too hard to find ways that bo's legacy is quietly being expunged in this city. across the road from his old office is where people would gather to sing red songs to rekindle maoist spirit. now we find a sign that says sing something considered too noisy. >> now the police presence is

relaxed. it's hard to wipe out his concrete legacy like the social housing that won him support among the poor. >> he was a good leader. i hope he doesn't get punished too severely. >> support extends to many still within the upper reaches of the party, which is why some believe he'll get a relatively light sentence in 20 years. >> the communist party is a huge organization. and this bickering among the factions will always be there. it's just for the sake of community, they're looking at lenient treatment. >> his career overa life at best under house arrest in store there are some determined not to let this one-time star of chinese politics slip silently away. [♪ singing ] >> and harry, do you have some sense of what is going on in the

tweeting the words of a chinese philosopher of 200 years ago

said justice must go to everyone even those at the top of society. some indication of theout com oe of the while could be gleaned from that. >> harry, thank you very much. now north korea is arguably the most secretive nation in the world, but now for the first time the u.n. is investigating north korea's detention system. investigators are hearing first-hand accounts from those who have managed to get out. amnesty international estimates there are 200,000 people in what many describe as concentration camps. the thought to have been set up in the 19 50's, and few people have ever escaped or been free. these are the testimonies of just two of them. >> i've been tortured in different ways. waterboarding, electrical torture, but the most painful was when they handcuffed my hand to the back. my hands were placed 60 60 centimeters above the ground, i couldn't sit or stand.

i was there for three or four days. that was the most painful torture. >> i thought i would be publicly executed or my wrist would be cut off. i was left grateful that only my finger was cut off. >> joining us now from washington, d.c. is greg scarlottio, the executive director of human rights in north korea. thank you for joining us. >> thank you, john, and good evening. >> those are disturbing comments. give us an idea of what you think is revealed? what have we learned about these camps as a result of this panel? >> certainly what this panel is doing is first and foremost bring more visibility to the appalling human rights behavior in north korea. we've been so focused on north korea's development of long-range bubb ballistic missi.

this inquiry was established by the u.n. human rights council, a council composed of 47 member states that passed this resolution by consensus without a vote. the resolution to establish a commission of inquiry in addition to keeping north korea human rights in focus also brings significant resources to the table, and a position that u.n. special for human rights 2004 was more or less a part time position. this position was not paid but only reimbursed for his expens expenses. there was only one staff member, but there are three and there are between 10 and 20 staff members. so significant resources have been brought to the table. >> can you give me a sense--there has been a change of the guard, a leadership in north korea, kim jong-il is now

the leader there, what has been the change in those camps since he took over for his father? under the leadership of kim jong-un and down to kim jong-il, north korea has continued to rely on unrelentless punishment to control its citizens. the political camps continue to play a key role in banning, isolating, punishing and exterminating those perceived as being disloyal to the regem. those who are wrong thinking, or have wrong knowledge. under the leadership of kim jong-un we have identified several changes within north korea's vast system of unlawful imprisonment. in particular a facility close

to china, camp number 22 has been shut down. that facility has ceased to function as a political prison camp. they used to be 50,000. and then 30,000 political prisoners being held there. we have found out that last year the remaining 3,000 prisoners were relocated to other camps. the big question, the terrible question here is what happened to the 27,000 prisoners that disappeared in process? in the meantime my organization, the committee for human rights in north korea, has looked at other such political prison camps, prison camp 25 with satellite imagery, we're absolutely certain that that facility has increased two-fold in size, amnesty international has looked at camp number 14. that facility as well has

increased in size. so this is happening. >> s disturbing information. we appreciate you talking to us tonight. thank you very much. well, america tonight with joey chen is up next. in their own neighborhoods. those stories and more are coming at the top of the hour. >> joie chen, thank you very much. the little league world series is a rite of summer. a coming up next we'll take to you williamsport, pennsylvania where some of the best young

baseball talent is competing for one of the games most famous championships.

sure that stories don't escape them. >> every day a storm of views. how can you fully understand the impact unless you heard angles you hadn't considered. consider this, antonio mora brings you smart conversation that challenges the status quo. stories that matter to you.

with an autographed jersey, and obama shared a few praise. >> coach shula retired with more wins than any coach in history. each time that record has been challenged, team after team has fallin short. >> michael eaves joins us to talk more about that. the president was having a lot >> michael eaves is here to talk about sports. i love the world series and the little league series, that's something special. >> since is the 47 the best young baseball talent in america and the world have converged on

williamsport, pennsylvania, to compete. the annual tournament will crown it's 67th champion. al jazeera has been in williamsport all day, and joins us now chance to talk with the bill fellow. grant holeman, 6'4", and 13 years young. you have had an amazing series. hit a no-hitter, what has it been like so far? >> it's been a great experience being one of the few kids getting to come here, hanging out with your friends.

it's been awesome. >> i know chula vista wants to bring home that little league title. what has been your most memorable experience? >> the first game, stepping out on the field and the first game was awesome. >> not only have you had to concentrate on baseball but you have to do some home work; is that correct? >> yes, our teachers have been nice to us. they have not given us as much here as they did in san bernardino because they know it's quite an accomplishment to get her

japan beat mexico earlier tonight. >> wow, that's a big little leaguer. thanks a lot, ross. now to some major league level where the race for the postseason is about to hit it's final stretch with teams jockeying for final position. the atlanta braves entered today's game action. braves outfielder jason hayward was sent to the hospital after being hit in the face. he suffered a broken jaw on the plate and he's expected to miss the next four to six weeks. several months after tearing ligaments in his right knee, robert griffin iii said he's ready to play for the re redski,

today griffin took a noticeable step in his recovery. he took full speed, full speed snaps for the first time since his knee surgery. they kick off against the eagles, and even though shanahan has still not said definitively that griffin will start in the opener, his eyes are set on philly. we go to new york city with the barclays. the tournament used to determine the playoff championships. tiger woods comes in to the weekend as the points leader thanks to five wins on the tour this year. during today's practice round he cut the round short due to discomfort he felt while walking the course. >> yeah, my neck and back are a little bit stiff. it was stiff this morning after a soft bed, and you know, just one of those things sleeping in

hotels. i didn't want to push it so i took it easy. >> he has those five wins this season, but still has not won a major. he's still in line to be player of the year on the pga tournament. >> it's a fun tournament. >> i hope to be playing but nonetheless i'll watch. >> joie chen starts at the top of the hour but first we have your weather. ç]

[♪ music ] >> well, hello again. i'm going to take to you the southeastern part of the united states where we do have good news for you this evening. the flood something getting

better. let me show you the weather maps across the region. we're going to be seeing the showers begin to die down a little bit over the last couple of days. nothing as bad as we have we have seen. that can be seen in the weather watches and warnings across the region. let me show you those, and we're looking at a little bit bess i in--a little bit less in terms of rain there. as you cross the highways the visibility is going to be better. the rain is going to be better across the evening as well as tomorrow. in atlanta we're talking 83 degrees, lower than average for this time of year, and that has been the trend in the region. orlando is a steamy 92 degrees. as we take a look across atlanta the next couple of days 86 degrees tomorrow. friday should be the hottest day you see, and then look at this on sunday, all the way back to 83 degrees there. here across the northeast things are looking quite nice. we're beginning to pick up a little bit of rain down towards the south.

we've had great weather here but for washington, d.c. the rain showers are beginning to come into play right now as we speak. 88 degrees in washington is the expected high for tomorrow. 86 degrees here in new york, and 87 degrees in parts of new york there. for temperatures right now how about 80 degrees in new york city. the u.s. open is going to begin next monday so the temperatures for monday look quite nice as long as this forecast stays the way it is. 84 degrees for the opening match there. now quickly over to the southwest. a lot of heavy rain showers across arizona. many of those are very severe. nothing here across the southern state of california except for warm temperatures, and for las vegas you're seeing 103 now. that's a look at your weather. your headlines up next. >> caller:

the water -- it requires this new warning. [♪ music ] >> welcome to al jazeera. i'm john. here are tonight's top stories. former egyptian president hase mubarak could be out of prison in just hours. mubarak will be under house arrest. he's facing charges of accepting gifts from a state-own the newspaper. he's also on trial for his role in the killing of protesters i in 2011. the nsa collecting information from people with no terrorism links. the court opinions showed the nsa was ordered to find ways to eliminat